Round 8 - Collingwood vs Port Melbourne at Victoria Park

[MagpieBat]

2:00pm this Saturday at home.

Collingwood: 11th (1 win, 4 losses, 2 byes, 78.72%)
Port Melbourne: 1st (7 wins, 0 losses, 0 byes, 196%)

Broadcast:

Internet – LiveChat at collingwoodfc.com.au

Team:

B: Hellier Riddle Williams
HB: Ugle Paine Pendlebury
C: Young Mooney Ferraro
HF: Cribbin Smith McNamara
F: Williams Witts Boland
R: Gault Elliott Wallace
Int: Cathcart Corr Doria Stubbs Hine Farmer Hahn Ceglar

Last time they met:
Round 15, 2011 at Victoria Park
Collingwood 9.11.66, def by
Port Melbourne 17.12.114

Winning Record (since 2008)
Played: 5
Collingwood: 2
Port Melbourne: 3

They are two of the most iconic clubs in Australian football. One, a stalwart of the oldest football competition in the country. The other, a founding member of what is today the national competition for the national code. Both are powerhouses of their respective leagues. Yet this Saturday’s meeting between Collingwood and Port Melbourne is emblematic of two completely different plotlines in the movie script of season 2012 of the VFL.

Port Melbourne are the undisputed masters of the competition. The reigning premiers from 2011 and the frontrunners for the flag this year as well. With 28 consecutive wins under their collective belts and every intention of adding more, the boys from North Port Oval well on their way to going back-to-back in 2012. By contrast, Collingwood are struggling. After 7 rounds, the young men of the black and white sit in the bottom half of the ladder with only a single victory to their names. Injuries to senior Magpies have seen Collingwood’s reserve ranks plundered yet again, forcing the VFL team to rely heavily upon its VFL list to remain competitive.

For the Borough, it has been full speed ahead under clear skies in 2012. Gary Ayres’ men have won every one of their 7 games so far this year, with each victory more impressive than the one before. Last week, they comprehensively humiliated arch-rival Williamstown in the grand final re-match by 80 points. Collingwood, on the other hand, are coming off a bye weekend that follows their last match against Sandringham, in which a brave and gallant Magpie side put on a spectacular performance in the second half at Victoria Park, before going down honourably to the Zebras by 11 points, after trailing by 48 points at half time.

Looking at the Collingwood side, one of the most frequent criticisms of the VFL team has been the habit of the selection committee to play at least 3 to 4 extra tall players, sometimes at the expense of extra running players that are available to the side under the 23rd man rule. This has resulted in the team becoming too top-heavy, particularly with the presence of 2-3 qualified first choice ruckmen in Jarrod Witts, Jonathon Ceglar and Cameron Wood, as well as Shae MacNamara and Corey Gault. While the club has a very good reason for doing this (namely, the development of all its players), this has come at the expense of team balance and has been a contributing factor to several of the team’s losses so far this season.

It is true that the VFL side exists primarily to develop Collingwood junior players for the roles that they will conceivably play in the AFL side, but it also serves as an outlet to keep senior players on the fringes in match fitness, particularly in the lead-up to the AFL finals series. Given the fact that the AFL and VFL finals are slightly out of synch, the absence of the Collingwood VFL side from the VFL finals can conceivably leave some senior players without up to a month of match fitness come AFL Grand Final day, a particularly undesirable situation should injuries to best 22 players strike in the lead up to the last Saturday in September.

Bearing that in mind then, if Collingwood’s publicly stated aim for its VFL side to make the finals in order to help with the club’s “September strategy” is to be accomplished, then the VFL side needs to start winning more games. A victory over Port Melbourne, as enormous an ask as it might be, would be an excellent place to start.

As always, many Collingwood fans will be looking at this game purely to check on the progress of several Magpie players, some of them being very familiar and loved names. Alan Didak, should he not be called up for the trip to Brisbane, will be looking to re-assert his credentials for senior selection. Likewise, veteran Chris Tarrant will be hoping to get some much needed miles back into his legs as he recovers from a calf injury.

From amongst Collingwood’s young up-and-comers, Jamie Elliott, Jackson Paine, Marley Williams, Tom Young, Jarrod Witts, Jonathon Ceglar and Peter Yagmoor will all be out to impress club selectors as opportunities open up in the senior side. From amongst the VFL contingent, Ricky Ferraro, Matt Boland, Rob Cathcart and captain Kris Pendlebury all look set to continue their collective good form so far this season.

Port Melbourne deservedly enter this match as hot favourites. They have class on every line, play a high standard of football and maintain a strong club culture that has seen the Borough sweep all before them on their way to a VFL flag in 2011, and quite likely 2012 as well. Collingwood will well and truly be up against it this Saturday. But as shown against the Zebras and in patches against other teams, the VFL side can play good standard football when it wants and when it has the personnel to do so. With a couple of AFL stars bolstering a batch of improving youngsters and a solid VFL-listed core, the Magpies still stand some chance of pulling off an upset.

I am all but resigned to a loss this Saturday, but I still hold some hope that the boys can win. As always with all things Collingwood, my heart over-rules my head. But you never know, the sense of occasion might just stir inside the boys something special…

Tip: Pies by 1 point. Alan Didak to kick 5 goals, including the match winner.

Over to you…

[Fire Up]

for entertainment sit in the "dtm stand" (sherrin stand) and listen to a person yelling out "ball, too high, push in the back" that will be dtm going off his rocker at the umps.

[Dave The Man]

I reckon the Pies have fighting chance and Port are Due for a Loss

[Fire Up]

we will only win IF we have a good 2nd qtr. we win the 2nd qtr we win the game.

[BBHS]

Quick question if anyone can help, are there BBQs along the open Wing side of the ground. I saw tables and what looked to be BBQs next to them. I could be seeing things as well.

[MagpieBat]

^ No, you are not seeing things.

There are a couple of BBQs on the old Rush Stand hill, as well as some tables.

[slydog81]

I'll be there, next to the pies bench

[Dave The Man]

I be there at the game as long the Weather Holds Up as the Forecast is not great

[BBHS]

[Fire Up]

dtm you will be there!

[stui magpie]

I went to the last home game, don't know if I will make it this weekend.

Funniest thing happened, I was sitting on the flank behind the score board operated by our own John Wren, having a durrie when a security guard came up, tapped me on the shoulder and said "you can't smoke here, you have to go outside".

Reflex action, I said OK and put it out, despite having walked out onto the ground at 1/4 time with a lit smoke, but the question remains, outside where? Outside what? It's a public park now, no admission, and I couldn't have got much more "outside" anyway.

I didn't pop over to the DTM stand to say G'day but I'm sure I heard him yelling "Ball" at times during the game.

[Dave The Man]

[Fire Up]

[Fire Up]

[stui magpie]